Drought has always prevailed on the Isan Plateau, the Thai nickname for the northeastern region of Thailand, where almost half the population are farmers.
Dependent on the rains to sustain their crops, farmers would traditionally gather at the beginning of the rainy season to launch homemade Bang Fai rockets into the sky to ask the weather god to release the monsoon on the land.
According to folklore, the higher and louder the rockets, the better.
The deity is likely to be happier with the offering and will allow plenty of rain for the season's harvest.
14 November 1955, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great travelled through the dry Isan region on a royal visit.
The 28-year-old monarch saw the effects of the lack of water in the region, which led to low agricultural yields and, as a result, the population suffered from chronic poverty and malnutrition.
King Rama IX in Thai villages.
When the young king looked up to the sky in the hope of finding a solution, he noticed that the weather was cloudy, but there was no precipitation.
As "every cloud has a silver lining*", literally, King Bhumibol found one by looking at clouds - an idea on how to attract cloud droplets to farmland.
*The English proverb "every cloud has a silver lining" is used to convey the idea that no matter how bad a situation is, there is always a silver lining.
"The idea of artificial rain came to me in 1955, when I visited Isan in November.
There were clouds, but the drought still persisted.
So I had two ideas in mind.
The first was to build check dams, and the second was to know how to bring water from the clouds.
Then I remembered that I had heard about rainmaking before.
Later, I spoke to Mom Rajawongse Debariddhi (an agricultural engineering expert) who confirmed that it was possible to make artificial rain.
Source: His Majesty King Bhumibol, interview with officials of the Royal Development Project Board, 17 March 1986.
The Royal Rain Project in Thailand.
Having shown a keen interest in science from an early age, the King acquired knowledge of technological research when he enrolled in the Faculty of Science at the University of Lausanne.
After 14 years of research into meteorology and weather modification, the first artificial rain experiment was attempted on 1 July 1969.
It was a remarkable success.
After the fleet of planes distributed dry ice flakes above the clouds, it started to rain within 15 minutes.
This operation marked the beginning of what is now recognised by Thais as the Royal Rainmaking Project.
Since then, the project has undergone a series of transformations to perfect the process of making artificial rain.
His Majesty King Bhumibol has recognised that sufficient moisture is crucial to the success of the rainmaking process.
Therefore, a new chemical formula has been invented to maximise the moisture level for different types of clouds.
Current rainmaking technology now involves three processes.
First, "agitation", to activate cloud formation by using salt and other chemicals to accumulate moisture.
Next, 'fattening', to stimulate the accumulation of droplets in the cloud by dispersing calcium chloride, and finally 'attacking', to trigger rain from the heavy clouds by adding a mixture of salt and urea.
The project was then concretised with the establishment of the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Office in 1992, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
This technique for making rain fall is exclusive to Thailand.
In 2001, King Bhumibol received recognition from the Royal Rainmaking Project of the EUREKA organisation "for an invention that is beneficial to the world".
In 2003, King Bhumibol obtained a patent from the European Patent Office for time modification.
Since the invention attracted international attention, many countries have sought to cooperate with Thailand to apply the know-how to their own drought problems.
Jordan, for example, obtained permission to use the rainmaking technique in 2009, through a memorandum of understanding for training and technology transfer.
Other countries that have requested cooperation include Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines.
In Thailand, 14 November is now celebrated as 'Father of the Royal Rain Day' to commemorate the day that inspired this invaluable initiative that has benefited many countries around the world.
Even 50 years after the birth of the Royal Rainmaking Project, this initiative is still very active today.
There is no need to rely on the weather gods, when citizens can submit a request for rain when needed, and rain is granted.
The project allows Thai farmers to harvest without interruption, and refills hydroelectric dams to help meet the growing demand for electricity.
In 2013, the Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation was upgraded to the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation in recognition of its expanded mission and responsibilities.
In 2019, the Department conducted 1,673 rainmaking operations across the country.
Nearly 89 % of the flights were successful, producing rainfall on 63 million hectares of forests, agricultural areas and reservoirs.
The heavy rains have increased water reserves by 2,595 million cubic metres.
Nevertheless, the demand for artificial rain is expected to increase due to air pollution problems and the effects of global warming, and the ministry is currently investigating the possibility of using rockets to help disperse the rain stuff above the clouds.
Today, under the leadership of His Majesty King Maha VajiralongkornThe legacy of the Royal Rainmaking Project lives on.
Following in his father's footsteps, King Vajiralongkorn has also initiated various drought-related irrigation projects, such as the construction of six reservoirs in the western province of Ratchaburi, and the development of canal systems, check dams and dykes to help farmers in Thailand's deep south.
It is one of many testimonies to the vision, continued dedication, perseverance and ingenuity of the monarchs of the Chakri dynasty who look after the Thai people and country.
See also :
Thailand's self-reliance economy, a fundamental legacy
Self-sufficiency economy in Thailand, the gift of Rama IX
Source: nationthailand.com
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